Comparing Viral Marketing Strategies to the Six Principles


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Comparing Viral Marketing Strategies to the Six Principles

by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, E-Commerce Consultant
Web Marketing Today, Issue 71, February 8, 2000

In a previous article I outlined the Six Simple Principles of Viral Marketing (http://wilsonweb.com/wmt5/viral-principles.htm). If you understand these, you'll be able to develop and adapt viral marketing strategies for your own company.

Gives away products or services
Provides for effortless transfer to others
Scales easily from small to very large
Exploits common motivations and behaviors
Utilizes existing communication networks
Takes advantage of others' resources

To help you understand these viral marketing principles better, I've set up a comparison table that helps you see quickly how some classic viral marketing approaches utilize these six principles. Remember, to be successful, a strategy doesn't need to use all six principles, but the more principles involved, the more powerful the strategy is likely to be. By necessity I am giving the briefest sketch of a particular example company strategy, but you can explore these strategies in greater detail, both at the company URL and the Viral Marketing section of our Web Marketing Info Center (http://wilsonweb.com/webmarket/viral.htm)

Example	1. Free	2. Transfer	3. Scales	4. Moti-vations	5. Network	6. Resource
Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com). Affiliate program with 300,000 links on member websites.	Yes	Copy HTML code	Requires robust database	Revenue	Affiliates' site visitors and ezines	Affiliate's website and e-mail
Geocities (http://www.geocities.com) allows members to construct free websites who they invite their friends to see. On each visit an interstitial ad Geocities pops up to invite visitor to Geocities.	Yes	Builds website with wizard	Requires larger servers and more disk space	Pride in creativity, family bonds	E-mail personal friends and family	Member's e-mail
eGroups (http://www.egroups.com) allows members to set up discussion and work groups on line, and then invite their friends to be a part, who can then begin a group of their own. Invitations use eGroups resources.	Yes	Wizard sets up a group	Requires larger servers	Work productivity, family connectivity	Family, work, and academic associates
ICQ (http://www.icq.com) instant messaging system allows members to set up accounts, who then invite friends to sign up for the service themselves.	Yes	Easy set-up	Requires larger servers	Love, keep-in-touch, chat	Family, work associates	Invite friends using own e-mail
Blue Mountain Arts (http://www.bluemountain.com) provides greeting cards which can be e-mailed to friends, who then are invited to send their own; cards. Uses Blue Mountain's mail server to send e-mail	Yes	Easy wizard, wide selection	Requires larger servers	Love, friendship, sympathy, loyalty	Personal friends and family
The Success Doctor (http://www.successdoctor.com), Michel Fortin, allows any site to use his free articles as content, provided they include links to his site.	Yes	Easy download, requires HTML skills	Easily scalable	Growth, desire for content	Visitors to hosts websites	Uses hosts websites
GoLinQ.com (http://www.GoLinQ.com), provides free e-commerce services to retailers, distributes through chambers of commerce partners.	Yes	Wizard set-up	Requires larger servers	Desire to serve members	Local business members	Uses Chambers' traditional communication channels

Read additional articles from Web Marketing Today, Issue 71, February 8, 2000.

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